SAN FRANCISCO–()–Charles Schwab announced on Saturday the grand prize winner of its first “Oh, Chuck! I Blew my Cash” contest. Dan Lamoureux of Thornton, Ill. will be awarded $10,000 in a Schwab brokerage account for sharing his story of a regrettable impulse purchase: a castle bounce house. According to his submission, Dan thought the $600 bounce house would be a hit at family parties for years to come, but the novelty wore off quickly and now the mammoth deflated castle is stored in his grandmother’s garage.
“Highest in Investor Satisfaction With Self-Directed Services”
“We created the Oh Chuck contest to help drive conversations about money, and we hope that the stories we gathered will inspire people to think carefully about their spending decisions and to seek the advice they need to get back on the right financial track,” said Laurine Garrity, Schwab’s chief marketing officer.
Schwab also recognized four runners up with $5,000 in a Schwab brokerage account and four honorable mentions with $1,000 in a Schwab brokerage account. To view all the contest winners’ stories, visit Schwab’s Facebook page.
Runners Up: Katie Kelly of Carlisle, Pa., who blew $2,000 on an RV, which turned out to be stolen; Gus Campanario of Issaquah, Wash., who blew $250 on wine for his anniversary and his wife unknowingly finished off the bottle without him; William Stuart of Tewksbury, Mass., who blew $6,000 on a purple school bus that no one wants to ride in; Walter Arnett of Lexington, Ky., who blew $2,874.36 on plush toys.
Honorable Mentions: Joel Levinson of Culver City, Calif., who blew $117 on a musical jug and puppet; Cara Braude of New York, N.Y., who blew $2,500 on attending friends’ weddings; Dusan Slepcevic of Henderson, Nev., who blew $871.29 on a portable bathroom; Janine Schaults of Oak Lawn, Ill., who blew $60 on a unicorn mask.
SCHW.jpg
Now accepting entries for second contest
Schwab will be conducting a second “Oh, Chuck! I Blew my Cash” contest to run from July 27 – August 31, 2012 with a grand prize of $10,000 in a Schwab brokerage account. Winners of the second contest will have the option to donate their winnings to charity. To enter and for complete contest details and official rules, please visit http://www.ohchuckiblewmycash.com.
About Charles Schwab
The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW) is a leading provider of financial services, with more than 300 offices and 8.7 million active brokerage accounts, 1.5 million corporate retirement plan participants, 815,000 banking accounts, and $1.76 trillion in client assets as of May 31, 2012. The company was ranked “Highest in Investor Satisfaction With Self-Directed Services” in the 2012 US Self-Directed Investor Satisfaction StudySM from J.D. Power and Associates. Through its operating subsidiaries, the company provides a full range of securities brokerage, banking, money management and financial advisory services to individual investors and independent investment advisors. Its broker-dealer subsidiary, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (member SIPC, www.sipc.org), and affiliates offer a complete range of investment services and products including an extensive selection of mutual funds; financial planning and investment advice; retirement plan and equity compensation plan services; referrals to independent fee-based investment advisors; and custodial, operational and trading support for independent, fee-based investment advisors through its Advisor Services division. Its banking subsidiary, Charles Schwab Bank (member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender), provides trust and custody services, banking and mortgage services and products. Investment products offered by Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. are not insured by the FDIC, are not deposits or obligations of Charles Schwab Bank, and are subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of principal invested. More information is available at www.schwab.com and www.aboutschwab.com. (0712-4975)
Follow us on Twitter: @charlesschwab
Read our blog: Schwab Talk
© 2012 Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Member SIPC.